HOW TO REALLY GET THE HEART RACING THIS VALENTINE’S DAY!

HOW TO REALLY GET THE HEART RACING THIS VALENTINE’S DAY!

When you are busy showering your partner (or special someone!) with love and affection, don’t forget about yourself!

February is a great time to turn more attention to your health; maybe you’re still feeling guilty of a bit of over-indulgence over the festive period? Or put too much pressure on yourself to hit the gym in January, especially with these horrid dark and wintery days. Don’t worry you are certainly not alone.

If you work in a fairly sedentary job, like the majority of our office based population these days, it is even more important to give yourself a bit of extra care and attention this Valentine’s Day. How can you do this? Believe it, or not, use the stairs!

Did you know that choosing the stairs over the lift could make a massive difference to your heart and health?

Here’s our top 4 facts about stair climbing and help your heart race:

1. Climbing just eight flights of stairs a day lowers average mortality risk by 33%

2. Just 7 mins of stair climbing a day reduces the risk of heart attack by 50% over 10 years

3. Stair climbing is officially classed as a ‘vigorous exercise’ and burns more calories per minute than jogging

4. It requires 8-9 times more energy expenditure than sitting and burns about 7 times more calories than taking a lift.

So start putting exercise at the heart of your everyday working life. You don’t have to sign up for a marathon but the best gift you can give your loved ones this Valentine’s Day – is a healthier you (although, don’t forget the flowers or chocolates of course!).

Sometimes we need a little bit of help to get started and that is why you’ll love StepJockey, they are transforming workplace health one step at a time and will help get you moving at work.

Sir MuirGray, Chief Knowledge Officer NHS, says about climbing stairs and StepJockey, “Every building should promote its’ stairs and StepJockey can help with that. Climbing up stairs builds stronger leg muscles, joints and hearts. I say down with lifts, up with stairs.”

StepJockey’s award winning behavioral change programme provides a simple and evidence based mechanism for making multi-storey offices more active and productive.

Its proprietary smart-sign and gamification technology is used by employers worldwide to combat sedentary behavior in the workplace by encouraging stair use. It allows all staff to seamlessly build exercise into their working week without disruption to the business.

The system is used in over 11,000 buildings around the world by clients including Disney, Pearson, JLL, UBS, Channel 4, NBC and The Wellcome Trust.

Backed by the UK Department of Health via Innovate UK and fully compliant with the new international Delos Well Building Standard, StepJockey provides the following key benefits: